NaNO3
A summary of the most common chemical descriptors (InChI Key and SMILES codes) for NaNO3 are summarized together with 3D and 2D structures and relevant physico-chemical properties.
Table of Contents
What is the NaNO3?
The molecule NaNO3 presents a molecular formula of NNaO3 and its IUPAC name is sodium; nitrate.
A molecule of sodium nitrate, NaNO3, is made up of one sodium atom, Na, bonded to one nitrogen atom, N, which is bonded to three oxygen atoms, O. The molecular formula for sodium nitrate is NaNO3. The molar mass of sodium nitrate is 84.99 g/mol..
Sodium nitrate is a white, crystalline solid that is soluble in water. It is used as a fertilizer, as a food preservative, and in the manufacture of explosives..
When heated, sodium nitrate decomposes to form sodium nitrite, NaNO2, and oxygen gas, O2..
2NaNO3(s) → 2NaNO2(s) + O2(g).
Sodium nitrate is an ionic compound. This means that it is made up of ions, which are atoms that have gained or lost electrons and have a charge. The sodium atom has lost one electron to form a +1 cation, and the nitrogen atom has gained three electrons to form a -3 anion..
The overall charge on an ionic compound must be zero. Therefore, the sodium nitrate molecule must have one sodium atom for every three nitrogen atoms. The ratio of sodium to nitrogen atoms in sodium nitrate is 1:3..
The Lewis structure for sodium nitrate shows that the nitrogen atom is bonded to three oxygen atoms. The nitrogen atom has a lone pair of electrons, which is not shown in the Lewis structure..
The bond angles in a molecule of sodium nitrate are all around 109.5 degrees. This is the typical bond angle for a molecule with a trigonal planar geometry..
The melting point of sodium nitrate is 307 degrees Celsius, and the boiling point is 350 degrees Celsius..
3D structure
Cartesian coordinates
Geometry of NaNO3 in x, y and z coordinates (Å units) to copy/paste elsewhere. Generated with Open Babel software.
2D drawing
Molecule descriptors
| IUPAC name | sodium; nitrate |
| InChI code | InChI=1S/NO3.Na/c2-1(3)4;/q-1;+1 |
| InChI Key | VWDWKYIASSYTQR-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
| SMILES | [N+](=O)([O-])[O-].[Na+] |
Other names (synonyms)
IUPAC nomenclature provides a standardized method for naming chemical compounds. Although this system is widely used in chemistry, many chemical compounds have also other names commonly used in different contexts. These synonyms can come from a variety of sources and are used for a variety of purposes.
One common source of synonyms for chemical compounds is the common or trivial names, assigned on the basis of appearance, properties, or origin of the molecule.
Another source of synonyms are historical or obsolete names employed in the past, however replaced nowadays by more modern or standardized names.
In addition to common and historical names, chemical compounds may also have synonyms that are specific to a particular field or industry.
Reference codes for other databases
There exist several different chemical codes commonly used in orded to identify molecules:- CAS number (Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number) is a unique identifier is assigned to every chemical compound indexed in the CAS database.
- Beilstein: The Beilstein database is a comprehensive source of information on organic chemistry, including information on chemical structures, properties, and reactions. The Beilstein database assigns unique identifiers which can be used to identify compounds in scientific literature and other sources.
- ChEBI (Chemical Entities of Biological Interest): ChEBI is a database of small chemical molecules that are of interest in the field of biology.
- PubChem CID (Compound Identifier): PubChem is a database of chemical compounds that is maintained by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- RTECS number (Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances): The RTECS is a database of information on the toxic effects of chemicals, including information on their structures and properties.
- ChEMBL (Compound Bioactivity Data): ChEMBL is a database of bioactivity data for small molecules, including information on their properties and structures.
- CompTox Dashboard (Environmental Protection Agency): The CompTox Dashboard is a database of information on the toxicology and environmental effects of chemicals.
Physico-Chemical properties
| IUPAC name | sodium; nitrate |
| Molecular formula | NNaO3 |
| Molecular weight | 84.99 |
| Melting point (ºC) | 306 |
| Boiling point (ºC) | 380 |
| Density (g/cm3) | 2.261 |
| Molar refractivity | |
| LogP | - |
| Topological polar surface area | 62.9 |
LogP and topological polar surface area (TPSA) values were estimated using Open Babel software.
The n-octanol/water partition coeficient (Kow) data is applied in toxicology and drug research. Kow values are used, to guess the environmental fate of persistent organic pollutants. High partition coefficients values, tend to accumulate in the fatty tissue of organisms. Molecules with a log(Kow) (or LogP) greater than 5 are considered to bioaccumulate.
TPSA values are the sum of the surface area over all polar atoms or molecules, mainly oxygen and nitrogen, also including hydrogen atoms.
In medicinal chemistry, TPSA is used to assess the ability of a drug to permeabilise cells.
For molecules to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (and act on receptors in the central nervous system), TPSA values below 90 Å2 are required. Thus, molecules with a polar surface area greater than 140 Å2 tend to be poorly permeable to cell membranes.